Riders with the Victoria Grandmothers for Africa chapter take a photo break near the Mill Bay ferry terminal during their fundraiser ride from Campbell River to Victoria. They’ll be making a presentation about their work at this weekend’s Cook Street Village Activity Centre cultural festival. Photo contributed

Cook Street activity centre celebrates cultures

The Cook Street Village Activity Centre celebrates cultures on Saturday with an interactive and family-friendly event.

The day features various presentations and includes an art show, food by the International Women’s Catering Co-op, an opportunity to try traditional African clothing and beads and get henna tattoos.

Presenters on the day include the Grandmothers for Africa Victoria, an organization which has raised more than $1 million for Africa since 2006. They will tell stories of how African grandmothers are providing brighter futures for children orphaned by AIDS.

Victoria imam, Ismail Mohamed Nur of the B.C. Muslim Association, will talk about the similarities of the religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Sabur Abdulai, who has performed for the president of Ghana, brings his Damba Dancers to perform African dance and drumming.

We Speak Translate is an invaluable tool that helps people communicate in different languages. Learn how to use this simple app that can help change lives through speech recognition, writing, and text translation. This is an Inter-Cultural Association initiative that has trained beyond 1,700 people.

Cook Street Village Activity Centre showcases cultural diversity on April 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information drop by the centre at 380 Cook St. or give them a call at 250-384-6542.